Properties and Erosional Response of Soils in a Degraded Ecosystem in Crete (Greece)

Boix, C.; Calvo, Andrea Luquin; Imeson, A.C.; Schoorl, J.M.; Soto, Soriano; Tiemessen, I.

doi:10.1007/978-94-009-1635-7_6

Cited by 3 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…because of grazing or fire), the soil hydrological response in humid Mediterranean environments may be very similar to that under more arid climatic conditions. For example, infiltration excess can control run‐off generation where scrub growth is prevented by overgrazing (Boix et al , 1995).…”

Section: Introductioncontrasting

confidence: 94%

“…In general, the higher the frequency and volume of rainfall the greater vegetation cover. However, even in the highest rainfall regions, some human activities (including grazing and fires) can affect this general pattern, resulting in less vegetation cover than expected (Boix et al , 1995; Kosmas et al , 2000). Consequently, a pattern of patchy vegetation is evident in Mediterranean regions under humid, dry, and semi‐arid climatic conditions.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Effects of exposure, scrub position, and soil surface components on the hydrological response in small plots in southern Spain

et al. 2010

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Rangelands are a major component of the Mediterranean landscape. These environments are commonly affected by grazing, which reduces vegetation cover. Consequently, patchy vegetation patterns occur on Mediterranean hillslopes, where the bare soil is characterized by a number of surface components that are controlled by climatic conditions and exposure. The aim of this study was to assess at a fine scale the effects of exposure, scrub, and soil surface components on the hydrological response under various Mediterranean climatic conditions. A set of closed plots (each of area 1Ð3 m 2 ) were established in each of three Mediterranean rangeland environments that differ in climatic conditions (humid, dry, and semiarid), but were not affected by intensive grazing. Rainfall was recorded at a meteorological station installed at each field site, and topsoil moisture was measured after every rainfall event, when run-off was collected. The results showed that (i) run-off was generated when topsoil moisture was close to saturation in the case of humid sites, and close to the wilting point at dry and semi-arid sites; (ii) run-off did not follow the same trends as rainfall and topsoil moisture along the climatic gradient because of the effects of soil surface components; (iii) the hydrological response in the plots was not clearly controlled by exposure and the location of scrub, especially at the semi-arid site; and (iv) the differences between field sites were small because of the influence of grazing on vegetation cover and the effects of soil water repellency, both of which require further investigation.

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Section: Introductioncontrasting

confidence: 94%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of exposure, scrub position, and soil surface components on the hydrological response in small plots in southern Spain

et al. 2010

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“…Specifically, increasing sheep and goat husbandry in poor rangeland conditions relies on the use of concentrated fodder. The consequences of overgrazing on land degradation in central Crete are diverse, including a decrease in biodiversity, a decrease in vegetation cover, and increased soil erosion (Boix et al 1995, Cerda 1998, Tsiourlis and Konstantinidis 2006. Complex land-tenure systems and communal grazing arrangements are also reported to be causes of poor range condition and low productivity (Papanastasis 1993).…”

Section: Rangelands Of Central Cretementioning

confidence: 99%

Livestock Subsidies and Rangeland Degradation in Central Crete

Lorent¹,

Sonnenschein²,

Tsiourlis³

et al. 2009

E&S

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Marginal and unstable environmental conditions force stockbreeders in drylands to develop adaptive strategies to ensure stability of production. In intensive market-oriented pastoral systems, the partial substitution of rangeland forage production by external feed increases the influence of commodity prices in stockbreeders' decisions, which become increasingly decoupled from environmental constraints. In Mediterranean countries of the European Union (EU), Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) subsidies also influence agricultural practices, potentially increasing environmental impacts. By modeling subsidy allocation to sheep and goat breeders in Crete, we showed that livestock subsidies for Less Favoured Areas (LFA) stimulated flock growth up to a point. By linking interviews of farmers to remote-sensing data in four village communities in central Crete, we tested statistically alternative hypotheses explaining the links between CAP subsidies, livestock-husbandry practices, and land degradation at the farm level. The flock growth stimulated by livestock subsidies was accompanied by the intensification of herd management, and decreasing yields and profits, with no statistical association to vegetation degradation. Farms with larger flocks became more sensitive to market fluctuations.

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“…However, in some cases, the eco‐geomorphologic landscape from rainier regions may become very similar to that from drier ones because of grazing as dominant land use reducing vegetation cover (Ruiz‐Sinoga et al, ; Pulido et al, ), and as consequence, soil erosion and degradation are enhanced (Palacio et al, ). Run‐off generation can be favoured where scrub growth is prevented by over‐grazing (Boix et al, ). Thus, where grazing becomes very dominant, soil degradation phenomena by water erosion have been reported in rangelands from Mediterranean environments (Schnabel, ; Gómez Gutiérrez et al, ; Ruiz‐Sinoga et al, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of Low Pressure Grazing on the Hydrological and Sediment Connectivity in Hillslopes under Contrasted Mediterranean Climatic Conditions (South of Spain)

2017

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Many areas from the Mediterranean region are characterised by steep slope gradient, patchy vegetation cover and soil surface conditions prone to overland flow generation and sediment transport. This study evaluated the hydrological and sediment connectivity between sections (top, middle and bottom‐channel) from three low pressure grazed hillslopes located under contrasted Mediterranean climatic conditions in southern Spain. The aim was performed by installing rain‐gauge stations and opened‐plots in order to register overland flow and sediment concentration from February 2008 to January 2010. The results indicated that (i) major volumes of overland flow and sediment transport occurred more frequently in the humid and semiarid; (ii) the more frequent hydrological connectivity was observed between the middle and bottom‐channel sections, although the major values of overland flow and sediment concentration were registered in the upper sections; (iii) it was found very frequent those rainfall events in which all sections contributed with overland flow and sediment to the channel; (iv) the factors controlling hydrological and sediment connectivity varied from one site to another depending on the rainfall regime and vegetation cover, although the soil surface conditions (rock fragment cover either embedded or not embedded, crusts, annual plants, among others) were found as a key factor in all of them. In summary, the grazing activity, even being of low pressure, contributes to distance the hydrological and sediment connectivity from the response expected in the field sites, especially in that of humid Mediterranean climate: more overland flow and less sediment concentration and, vice versa, when becomes arid. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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Properties and Erosional Response of Soils in a Degraded Ecosystem in Crete (Greece)

Cited by 3 publications

References 5 publications

Effects of exposure, scrub position, and soil surface components on the hydrological response in small plots in southern Spain

Effects of exposure, scrub position, and soil surface components on the hydrological response in small plots in southern Spain

Livestock Subsidies and Rangeland Degradation in Central Crete

Impact of Low Pressure Grazing on the Hydrological and Sediment Connectivity in Hillslopes under Contrasted Mediterranean Climatic Conditions (South of Spain)

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